Sterling Page 10

  “Ew.” Cynthia’s mouth twisted in disgust. “That guy is gross. I would hate to be his secretary.”

  Noah walked her into his room, but hesitated before closing the door. With Jim in the house, he felt stifled. Hunted, almost.

  “Do you want to go for a drive?” he asked, not caring about the desperation in his voice. “Do you have time?”

  She shrugged. “Sure. I’m with you. My mom will find someone else to do the errands.”

  He grabbed her hand and hurried her out of the room again, grabbing his keys as he did so. His dad and Jim were still murmuring in the den, but Noah didn’t slow his steps when they passed the room. Nor did he tell his mother where he was going. Just walked out the front door, helped Cynthia get into his car, and took off down the street.

  “That was the boss from your very short career in Lawyer Land, I take it?” she asked.

  He reached out and took her hand, not apologizing for threading his fingers with hers. Not making excuses for his need to do so. “Yes. He’s my father’s old friend. They went to school together.”

  “I can see why your dad would want to hook you up with him, but yikes. That’s a real blind spot on your old man’s part.”

  He breathed out a sigh of relief that she could so clearly read the situation. On impulse, he started to drive toward a spot he knew that overlooked the ocean. “My dad means well.”

  “I’m sure he does. My mom would try to marry me off to that guy, despite his age and sleaziness. Although ‘sleazy’ is probably the wrong word for a guy with money…”

  “It fits, regardless of his income.”

  “True. So what happened? What makes you…like this when he comes around? Did he make a pass at you?”

  Noah smiled. “He put me on a case that I shouldn’t have won. My first case, right out of school. I wanted to prove myself, so I put my all into it.”

  “And you did win.”

  “Yes.”

  “So that’s…not good?”

  “I shouldn’t have won that case both because of the odds stacked against me and for moral reasons. The man we were defending was a wife-beating white-collar crook who pulled the trigger on having his wife…disposed of.”

  Cynthia shifted in her seat, thankfully not letting go of his hand. “What does disposed of mean?”

  “Assassinated, cut up, and dumped.”

  “Holy…”

  “She had proof that he was engaging in illegal activity. She’d threatened to go to the authorities if he didn’t divorce her and give her a large settlement. Basically, she wanted out, and she didn’t want to fight him in court to do it. She probably knew he’d drag it out for years.”

  “So he killed her?”

  “Had her killed. He didn’t actually do the deed, but there was proof that he arranged it. I couldn’t discredit her in the jurors’ eyes by arguing that her demands for a larger-than-entitled settlement were irrational, because the coroner found out that she’d been pregnant. The large settlement was to help support the baby.”

  “Oh my God,” Cynthia breathed as Noah pulled off the road. He took his hand back in order to steer the SUV around the various bushes and overhanging branches, both of them keeping silent as he parked in the secluded spot.

  “And you knew, without a doubt, that he’d ordered the killing?” Cynthia pressed.

  “Yes. As did the prosecution.”

  “So how’d you get him off?”

  “With a technicality and a whole lot of charm to convince the jurors that even a mostly nonexistent shadow of a doubt is enough to acquit someone. They bought it, and I won. I let him get away with a disgusting, heinous deed. I put him back into his company so he could continue ripping off his employees, and so he didn’t have to deal with the repercussions of abusing his wife and creating a terrible home for his family. Because of me, justice wasn’t done. And there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t regret it.”

  Fourteen

  The guilt and pain in Noah’s voice broke Cynthia’s heart. She didn’t even think about it. She just reached over and grabbed him around the neck, pulling him closer.

  “As shitty as it is to say, you were doing your job,” Cynthia said, hugging him as close as the center console would allow. “Even crooks need a capable defense to make sure the justice system is…mostly working. The fact that you came to your senses, and let your moral compass keep you from doing it again, speaks volumes about you, Noah. Proves that you are a good guy. Because Jim is still there, right? Trying to keep those people on the streets. In it for the money. You’re not like him, and your actions prove it.”

  “Whenever he comes around, I hear the recording of the 911 call the victim made. She was screaming for her life before the gunshot ended her cries.”

  “Cripes,” she said softly, rubbing his broad back. “I don’t blame you for never wanting to see him again. Yuck.” She shook her head. “Why did you quit entirely instead of just changing firms?”

  He shook his head. “I was too disgusted in myself. Part of me worried I’d do it again. That when push came to shove, I’d want to beat the odds and win over doing the right thing. I thought it best to remove myself from the situation entirely.”

  “That makes sense. Well, I’m happy to save you whenever you need help. Just say the word, and I’ll barge in and run interference.”

  He pulled back, moving slowly, until his face was inches from hers. The electricity that always crackled between them surged to a higher voltage, running across her skin. His beautiful eyes delved into hers, soft yet intense. Oh, the effect he had on her…

  “You did save me. How did you know how to act? What to wear?” he asked, his eyes roaming her face. “I’ve never seen you haughty and stuck-up, but you played the part perfectly.”

  “The guy has a Lamborghini, so that was a big hint about the dress code. And I have a mother and two sisters who are constantly trying to drill haughtiness into me. Just because I don’t use that social weapon, doesn’t mean I can’t.”

  “Well, it was perfect.” His hands moved up the outsides of her arms before cupping her chin. His eyes delved into hers and the world dropped away, leaving only his touch, and the deep brown depths of his eyes. “You’re perfect, Cynthia.”

  His eyes dipped, and then he was moving forward. His lips grazed hers, sending shooting sparks of desire through her body. He deepened the kiss, opening her mouth with his. His tongue flicked hers, teasing and playful, easing in deeper.

  She moaned as her body heated up. She ran her hands over his bulging biceps and then up to his broad shoulders. He sucked in her tongue before pulling back to nibble her lips.

  “I can’t stop thinking about you,” he murmured against her lips, “ever since we saw each other in the store. I’m…entranced by you. It’s only gotten stronger. I hate being apart from you.”

  She struggled for a semblance of control. Struggled to find her way to the surface. But it was too late. Desire stole her thoughts. Took over her body.

  “Same with me. I’ve tried to hold back, but…” Their panting breath mingled. Heated between them.

  She couldn’t fight it anymore. She couldn’t contain it. Worst of all, she didn’t want to.

  “I need you, Noah,” she said in a gush of breath.

  His lips crashed against hers. His hand slipped down to cup a breast. She moaned and threw her head back, her hands feeling down his ribs and in to his stomach. Solid muscle.

  He trailed hot kisses down her neck and her passion built, consumed her.

  With shaking fingers, she undid the buttons on his shirt as fast as she could. She felt his fingers at the back of her dress before the whirr of a zipper loosened the garment. Soft material fell down her chest as she pushed his shirt off—Noah helping her by shrugging out of the sleeves—exposing an undershirt beneath.

  She grabbed the ends of his undershirt and pulled, not caring that they were, in essence, at the side of the road, and anyone could go off the beaten track and find th
em. Just as she hadn’t cared about being in a grocery store. She’d never experienced this kind of mindless fervor, this desperate need to have someone inside of her.

  His shirt off, she could do nothing but pause and stare at the marvel of man sitting in front of her. The muscles in those broad shoulders danced as he peeled away her dress and reached around to unhook her bra. Sculpted pecs led down to a perfectly defined eight-pack, bumpy and delicious. A small happy trail practically pointed into his pants, and before she could stop herself, she was ripping at his belt, desperate to get inside.

  “Do you…want to…stop?” he panted, clearly just as out of control.

  “Why the fuck would I want to stop?” She yanked his fly open before reaching in, now hampered by briefs.

  He cupped a breast with a gentle hand. “You are so beautiful, Cynthia.” He bent, cutting off her attempts to reach his cock. A hot tongue flicked her budded nipple before he sucked it into his mouth. Pleasure raced through her body and pooled, hot and heavy. Her core ached. “I want you to be sure.”

  “I’m sure. I’m sure. Oh…gawd.” Her eyes rolled back in her head as his mouth worked the other nipple. His hand reached between her thighs.

  She reached along the side of the seat and found a lever. She pulled up on one end of it, and the bottom of the seat went upward. She tried another. The back lost firmness.

  “Where the fuck is the fucking back-rest one?” she muttered.

  He kissed up her chest before claiming her lips again. She moaned at his spicy, alluring taste. His hand nudged hers away from the car’s mechanisms. A moment later, her seat slowly reclined.

  That done, he reached down through her dress. His fingers dipped into her panties before stroking her wetness.

  “Oh…” She lay back, momentarily struck mute as he expertly fondled her clit. Her core, then her body, tightened. Wound up. She rocked her hips as his mouth once against settled on hers.

  She gyrated harder, already close to orgasm. “Yes,” she said against his lips, clutching his shoulders. His finger worked harder. Faster. Her breath became labored. “Oh God. Oh God. Oh!” She arched against the seat as her body blasted apart. Waves of glorious pleasure rolled through her.

  “Hmm,” she said, shifting so she could reach over the console and get to him. She dug her hand into his briefs and finally captured his huge erection. “Good God,” she said without meaning to.

  His fingers trailed down her wetness before dipping into her. She moaned and stroked his soft skin. “Let’s get in the back seat,” she said, gyrating again, pressing into his plunging fingers.

  “Okay,” he whispered before sucking in her bottom lip.

  She shoved him off, slipped the rest of the way out of her dress and panties, and turned and crawled between the seats. It wasn’t the greatest move. Her knee slipped off the side of the console, throwing her body off course in the not-as-large-as-she’d-thought opening between the seats. Her shoulder wedged against the driver’s seat as she pitched forward, throwing her ass high. She looked for something to grab that would help her heave herself through, but there wasn’t anything. She pushed at the ground, trying for leverage.

  Good grief, this was probably the least sexy thing he’d ever seen.

  “Just a moment,” she muttered, pushing with her knees and nearly dragging her stomach across the console. “Nearly there.”

  She heard his dark chuckle as a large hand found her butt cheek and stilled her. Another hand joined the first before sliding up to her hips. He lifted her butt higher into the air and pushed her head toward the ground. The seats hugged her waist on either side.

  “That didn’t help—” A moan replaced her words as his tongue moved along her slit. He sucked in her clit before his tongue swirled it around. His fingers found her opening, plunging deeply. “Hmm, yes.”

  She didn’t know how he was doing it from that angle, but she wasn’t about to throw out her back twisting to see.

  Her eyes fluttered shut as he sucked in her clit again. She pumped her hips in time to his fingers. The Range Rover’s horn made her jump. Noah didn’t stop. He swirled his tongue and sucked in time with his fingers’ plunging, the pace speeding up. Her body tightened, already warmed up and ready for a second blastoff. She pumped her hips harder, moving against his mouth.

  “Yes, Noah,” she said, resting her head against the back seat with her eyes squeezed shut, the awkward position forgotten. Pleasure rolled through her, clenching her middle. She moaned louder, gyrated faster. “Yes!” A second orgasm made her shudder, pleasure pounding through her body. She breathed deeply as he pulled away, delighting in the pleasant shaking of her body, the energized relaxation of the aftermath.

  This man knew his away around a lady’s playground. Cynthia didn’t give a damn how, either. She was happy to be reaping the benefits of his knowledge.

  Foil crinkled, and excitement fluttered in her middle. Breath shallow, knowing the final act was coming and barely able to wait, she pushed herself away from the ground to restart the struggle to the backseat. Naked or not, she clearly should’ve just gone around. Hindsight.

  “Bear with me. I’ve never done this before,” he said.

  She had a moment of confused shock—what was he talking about?—before the sound of groaning leather filled the car. The driver’s seat reclined slowly, pushing her. She shifted to get clear, seeing his genius. He was putting both seats down, which would make it much easier for them to crawl through.

  “Okay,” she said, then paused as his warm hand found her butt cheek, keeping her from crawling forward. He grabbed her hips again, pulling them back and up. She put her hands on the floor as the leather seats continued to groan. “What’s happening?”

  “I’m going to fuck you, Cynthia.” His chest leaned toward her back, and she knew he was performing some sort of acrobatics and straddling her on the seats. “I’m going to fuck you just like this, in a way I’ve never tried before, in a place I’ve never brought anyone to. This will be a first for both of us. I want a first with you, Cynthia. I want us to share something I’ve never had with anyone else.”

  Warmth infused her chest, and she didn’t have the heart to tell him he was crazy to try this position.

  His tip prodded her opening, taking all her focus. Leather groaned, but it was quickly drowned out by her moans as he plunged into her, filling her to bursting. Colors sparkled behind her eyes from the sensation of it. The dull ache pulsed into exquisite pleasure.

  He paused for a moment, deeply inside of her, feeling so damn good, so right. She sighed, sagging to rest her head on the edge of the back seat.

  “You feel so good,” he murmured, stroking her shoulder before reaching down to brace himself on the floor, their fingers so close they were almost touching. His other hand found her other shoulder, and he pulled back, dragging his huge cock nearly out of her.

  “Oh holy fuck,” she said, the pleasure almost unbearable even though they’d just started. “Oh shit, you feel fantastic.”

  He pushed forward, thrusting into her again, picking up the pace, each movement sending bolts of pleasure through her body.

  “Ye-s, oh holy—” She squeezed her eyes shut, the sensations battering her, overwhelming her. Warmth continued to seep in deeper, filling up her center. “Noah,” she said, not sure if she was begging him for more, or pleading with him to stop and walk away, ensuring she wouldn’t lose her heart.

  The SUV rocked with their sensual movements. He pounded into her, the pleasure pushing higher. She rocked back, smacking into him. “Yes,” she called, drowning in sensations and loving every minute of it. “Yes!”

  She swirled her hips as he continued to thrust, creating new sensations. He groaned and clutched her shoulder tightly as she did it again, every fiber of her being tightening to the point of pain.

  “Almost there, Noah,” she said, panting, her mind blank, only focusing on the feeling of his body, of finally having him inside of her. “Almost there, baby.”


  “Yes,” he groaned, working faster. Pushing harder.

  Another swirl of her hips and a shock of bliss stole through her. She teetered on the edge. Not breathing. All her muscles tight. Just needing one last push.

  His thrust slammed into her, perfectly timed. She gasped as a wave of indescribable pleasure shocked into her. She exploded with sensation. She let out a long, guttural moan as she rode the high of the best orgasm she’d ever had.

  Noah shook above her, groaning and pushing forward, resting more of his weight on her. His skin on hers felt delicious and comforting. Her face smashing against the back seat wasn’t as awesome.

  “Cynthia,” he said softly, and it sounded like the same plea she’d made to him.

  Fifteen

  “Why are you in such a hurry?” Greg said with a smirk.

  Noah looked away from his phone. Five o’clock. Cynthia’s family would be starting their dinner.

  His mom was about to serve dessert. He probably couldn’t duck out for at least another half-hour.

  “I have places to be,” Noah said as he bounced his knee in impatience. He didn’t want Cynthia to think he was playing games.

  After the most amazing, though strangely positioned, sex he’d ever had, he’d sat with her wrapped in his arms in the back seat, relishing in the feel of her. If not for the tourists who’d parked somewhere nearby and wandered closer, trying to see the ocean, he would’ve made love to her again. As it was, he’d dropped her off shortly after the shocked strangers had caught a glimpse of them naked.

  “Did you ask her about moving in with you?” Greg asked, taunting. He was such a shit sometimes.

  “I haven’t talked to her about helping with Colton’s company, no.” Noah gritted his teeth. “Or that I have a place she can stay.”

  “Colton said he would be into having some extra help?” Greg leaned back so his mother could place his plate in front of him.

  “Colton’s holdout is the pay. He is down to the dredges of his funding and doesn’t have the budget for more employees.”